Since 1968, Canada’s hospital and medical care system is sponsored by public funds and majority of nurses who work in Canada are employed within the publicly sponsored health care sector. Unlike any other countries, health care in Canada is under the jurisdiction of the provincial government and nurses who want to apply for work in Canada must apply directly to individual employers.
Employment situations for foreign nurses who want to work in Canada is at its peak and there is a huge shortage of nurses especially those who have extensive experience in areas like emergency, operating room, and critical care. But before you can work in Canada as a nurse, you must be a licensed or registered nurse in the province or territory wherein you will work because registration of nurses who want to work in Canada does not occur at the national level, nurses’ registration happens in the provincial level.
With the exception of Quebec, Canadian provinces require that you write the Canadian Registered Nurses Examination as part of your registration procedure. This examination can only be written in Canada on the advice of the nurses association in the province wherein you wish to practice nursing. And, you must also pass the English language proficiency exam for you to be able to work in Canada. There are two languages in Canada, the French and the English language and having proficiency in both their languages can be a very big advantage especially if you’re planning to work in Quebec wherein you must also have knowledge of French language to be able to work there. Below are the list of Provincial and Territorial Nursing Regulatory Bodies.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia
2855 Arbutus Street
Vancouver BC V6J 3Y8
Tel: (604) 736-7331
Fax: (604) 738-2272
E-mail: info@crnbc.ca
ALBERTA
College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta
11620 – 168 Street
Edmonton AB T5M 4A6
Tel: (780) 451-0043
Fax: (780) 452-3276
E-mail: carna@nurses.ab.ca
SASKATCHEWAN
Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association
2066 Retallack Street
Regina SK S4T 7X5
Tel: 1-800-667-9945 / (306) 359-4200
Fax: (306) 525-0849
E-mail: info@srna.org
MANITOBA
College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba
890 Pembina Hwy
Winnipeg MB R3M 2M8
Tel: (204) 774-3477
Fax: (204) 775-6052
E-mail: info@crnm.mb.ca
ONTARIO
College of Nurses of Ontario
101 Davenport Road
Toronto ON M5R 3P1
Tel/Tél. : 1-800-387-5526 / (416) 928-0900
Fax/Télécopieur : (416) 928-6507
E-mail/Courriel : cno@cnomail.org
QUÉBEC
Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec
4200, boul. Dorchester Ouest
Montréal QC H3Z 1V4
Tel/Tél. : (514) 935-2501 / 1-800-363-6048
Fax/Télécopieur : (514) 935-1799
E-mail/Courriel : inf@oiiq.org
NEW BRUNSWICK
Nurses Association of New Brunswick
165 Regent Street
Fredericton NB E3B 7B4
Tel/Tél. : (506) 458-8731
Fax/Télécopieur : (506) 459-2838
E-mail/Courriel : nanb@nanb.nb.ca
NOVA SCOTIA
College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia
Suite 600, Barrington Tower
1894 Barrington St.
Halifax NS B3J 2A8
Tel: (902) 491-9744
Fax: (902) 491-9510
E-mail: info@crnns.ca
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Association of Registered Nurses of Prince Edward Island
53 Grafton Street
Charlottetown PE C1A 1K8
Tel: (902) 368-3764
Fax: (902) 628-1430
E-mail: arnpei@pei.aibn.com
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Association Of Registered Nurses Of Newfoundland And Labrador
55 Military Rd
St. John’s NL A1C 2C5
Tel: (709) 753-6040
Fax: (709) 753-4940
E-mail: info@arnnl.nf.ca
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Registered Nurses Association of the
Northwest Territories and Nunavut
Box 2757
Yellowknife NT X1A 2R1
Tel: (867) 873-2745
Fax: (867) 873-2336
E-mail: nwtrna@theedge.ca
YUKON
Yukon Registered Nurses Association
204 – 4133 – 4th Avenue
Whitehorse YT Y1A 1H8
Tel: (867) 667-4062
Fax: (867) 668-5123
E-mail: yrna@yknet.ca